Strip marking apparatus



STRIP MARKING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 18, 1964 III w 4 Amy INVENTORS KONRADJ. HOFMEISTER AND GEORGE R. SWANN BY their ATTORNEY United States Patent3,346,995 STRIP MARKING APPARATUS Konrad J. Hofmeister and George R.Swann, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignors to Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation,Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 18, 1964, Ser.No. 412,208

Claims. (Cl. 51-156) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relatesto apparatus for marking selected portions of traveling strip. It ismore particularly concerned with apparatus for placing a marking spot ofrestricted area on rapidly moving strip.

In the manufacture of continuous strip, particularly steel strip, it isfrequently necessary that the material be inspected for surface defectsas it continuously travels. It is then necessary that areas containingdefects so discovered be marked so that they can later be identified andcut out. It is generally necessary that strip traveling at high rates ofspeed be inspected by electro-optical apparatus 'which provides anelectrical signal indicating the presence of a defect. The electricalsignal must then be used to actuate marking apparatus which ispositioned over the path of the strip travel. When this travel is at ahigh rate of speed, the marking apparatus must operate quite rapidly,otherwise the mark is so elongated by the movement of the strip that itover-indicates the defect. Where, as will appear hereinafter, the markis a scratch on the surface of the strip, it may occasion the rejectionof more strip than the defect does.

The apparatus of our invention is constructed so that it can be actuatedby the signal of an automatic inspection device, and in response to thatsignal operates sufl'iciently rapidly that a mark of restricted lengthis placed on the strip in the region of the defect. An embodiment ofthat apparatus presently preferred by us is illustrated in the attachedfigures, to which reference is now made. FIG- URE 1 is a side elevationof our apparatus, the casing being shown in section taken on the plane11 of FIG- URE 2 and the marking element also being shown partly insection. FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of our apparatus taken on theplane 22 of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 is a view of the underside of the markingelement of our apparatus taken on the plane 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

Our apparatus is mounted in a generally rectangular casing 10. Withincasing at one end is positioned an electric motor 11 having a shaft 12which is attached by a coupling 13 to the shaft '16 of anelectro-magnetic clutch 14. The structure of clutch 14 is not a part ofour invention and is not shown in detail, as electro-magnetic clutchesare known to the art. Terminals 15 of clutch 14 are connected toautomatic inspection apparatus the signal from which causes clutch 14 toengage shaft 16 with oppositely extending shaft 17. Shaft 17 of clutch14 is connected to a slip clutch 18 which comprises disk or drivingelement 19 and abutting disk or driven element 20 Which are urged intocontact with each other by coil spring 21. Disk 19 is attached to shaft17 and disk 20 carries a crank 23 which is pivotally connected to arm22. Arm 22 extends downwardly and at its lower end is formed as a clevis24 in which is mounted an abrasive wheel 25. Abrasive wheel 25 is heldin place by pin 26 through the forks of clevis 24 and the center ofwheel 25, and is not freely rotatable. The wheel 25 serves as a meansfor marking the surface of moving material upon downward movement of arm22 and clevis 24 by means of which wheel 25 is carried. The forks ofclevis 24 are attached at their outer ends to flat springs 28 and 29,respectively, which are positioned more or less horizontally. Springs 28and 29 are fastened at one end by a pin 30 to housing 10, and at theother end to pin 31 which is attached to a swinging arm 32. The otherend of arm 32 is pivotally mounted by a pin 33 to housing 10. Thesprings 28 and 29 are positioned so that normally the rim of wheel 25does not project outside of housing 10.

A dash-pot 35 is positioned above disk 20 so that its plunger 36 in itsextended position engages crank 23 when the latter is rotated a fewdegrees from its normal or at rest position.

The operation of our apparatus will now be described, again withreference to the attached figures. Motor 11 of our apparatus runscontinuously and, therefore, continuously rotates shaft 16 of clutch 14through coupling 13. Clutch 14 is normally disengaged so that its shaft17 is normally not rotating. When a defect signal is applied toterminals 15 of clutch 14, the latter is engaged, thus coupling itsshafts 16 and 17. Motor 11 then through clutch 14 causes shaft 17 torotate in a clockwise direction as seen in FIGURE 2. Shaft 17 carriesdisks 19 and 20 of slip clutch 18 with it and causes crank 23 also torotate in a clockwise direction. Crank 23 thereupon moves arm 22substantially vertically downwardly, depressing marking wheel 25 againstthe pull of springs 28 and 29 until it engages the surface of the movingstrip below, thus marking the strip surface. When marker wheel 25engages the strip surface disk 19 of slip clutch 18 slips on disk 20, sothat no damage is done to the apparatus by the continued rotation ofmotor 11 even though clutch 14 may not be fully disengaged. It will beunderstood that the defect signal applied to terminals 15 of clutch 14is of short duration and that clutch 14 disengages as soon as the defectsignal is removed. However, this requires a finite time, and slip clutch18 prevents damage to the apparatus during this interval.

When clutch 14 is disengaged, the springs 28 and 29 return to theirnormal position and raise marker wheel 25 so that it no longer engagesthe strip. Link 32 pivots on pin 33 so as to allow for the necessarymovement of the free ends of springs 28 and 29 in so doing.

When crank 23 rotates in the clockwise direction, plunger 36 of dash-pot35 moves out to its fully extended position. When crank 23 is carriedback toward its normal position by the restoring force of springs 28 and29, it makes contact with plunger 36 of dash-pot 35 before it reachesits rest position and is slowed down by the action of dash-pot 35, so asto prevent bouncing.

When abrasive wheel 25 becomes worn on the marking portion of its edge,it may be rotated a few degrees so as to bring an unworn portion of itsedge into use by loosening screw 26.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for placing a marking spot on the surface of movingmaterial comprising a continuously rotating motor, a shaft operativelyconnected to said motor for continuous rotation therewith, adisengageable clutch connected to said shaft and to a slip clutch, saidslip clutch including a driving element directly connected to saiddisengageable clutch and a driven element in abutting relation crank,whereby upon engagement of said disengageable clutch said crank iscaused to move downwardly so as to drive said carrying means and markingmeans substantially vertically downwardly.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 including damper means adapted to engage thecrank at a predetermined point in its up stroke and to retard that upstroke.

3. Apparatus of claim 1 including yieldable means connected to thecarrying means urging the carrying means and associated marking meansinto a position clear of the moving material.

4. Apparatus of claim 3 in which the yieldable means is a flat strip ofspringy material supported at its ends so as to permit flexing, and thecarrying means is attached to the center of the strip.

5. Apparatus of claim 1 in which the marking means comprises anon-rotating abrasive wheel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,244,536 6/ 1941 Herchenrider51150 2,585,623 2/ 1952 Brockley 51-156 2,924,048 2/ 1960 Sjostrand51165 2,957,563 10/1960 Thumirn 19218 3,180,230 4/1965 Judd et a1 90-15LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR PLACING A MARKING SPOT ON THE SURFACE OF MOVINGMATERIAL COMPRISING A CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING MOTOR, A SHAFT OPERATIVELYCONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR FOR CONTINUOUS ROTATION THEREWITH, ADISENGAGEABLE CLUTCH CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT AND TO A SLIP CLUTCH, SAIDSLIP CLUTCH INCLUDING A DRIVING ELEMENT DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO SAIDDISENGAGEABLE CLUTCH AND A DRIVEN ELEMENT IN ABUTTING RELATION WITH THEDRIVING ELEMENT, A CRANK MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVEN ELEMENT, MEANS FORMARKING THE SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL UPON DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE CRANK,AND MEANS FOR CARRYING SAID MARKING MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAIDCRANK, WHEREBY UPON ENGAGEMENT OF SAID DISENGAGEABLE CLUTCH SAID CRANKIS CAUSED TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY SO AS TO DRIVE SAID CARRYING MEANS ANDMARKING MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY.